Landmark Study Finds Better Path to Reading Success

This article implies that invented spelling can help predict earlier reading ages for a child. The study looked at children, younger than first grade, who practiced inventive spelling. When the child progressed to first grade, the inventive spellers had their reading skills develop at an earlier age than other children who focus on the historical method of teaching.

In a landmark study two Canadian researchers in developmental psychology, Gene Ouellette and Monique Sénéchal (2017), have mapped the powerful beginning reading-writing connection, moved us closer to being successful teachers of reading in first grade.

Invented spelling allows the child to be more creative in the learning process. By removing the strictly memorization from elementary spelling, the child can think about the words they are forming. Whether right or wrong, the output, given more thought, allows the child to progress to reading easier than those taught under the typical method.

Key Takeaways:

Gene Ouellette and Monique Sénéchal are Canadian researchers in developmental psychology.

They have found that invented spelling in young students is an indicator of growth in early reading skills.

The correlation between invented spelling and growth in early reading skills is even stronger a predictor than alphabet skills or phonological awareness.

Author: Psychology Today

Author Quote “

In a landmark study two Canadian researchers in developmental psychology, Gene Ouellette and Monique Sénéchal (2017), have mapped the powerful beginning reading-writing connection that moved us closer to being successful teachers of reading in first grade.

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